The cost of following Jesus is a theme that reverberates throughout the New Testament. When the rich young man asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life, Jesus didn’t give him an easy answer. Instead, He challenged him to sell all his possessions and follow Him. This was a high cost indeed, and it left the young man feeling dejected.

We may not be asked to sell all our possessions to follow Jesus, but the cost is still significant. This cost is not just about giving up material possessions or personal ambitions. It’s also about giving up our pride, our desire for control. This is a humbling and challenging process, but it’s also liberating…..

On the morning before I sat down to write this, I walked toward the front gate at Holy Apostles and was greeted by one of our Porters, who was eager to tell me about a story he heard on the news. To mark the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, this story focused on different ways that New Yorkers were remembering the day and honoring those who lost their lives. One couple profiled decided to donate one hour of community service for each of the 2,996 people who died….

In our world today, the idea of bearing a cross can seem distant and abstract. We don’t literally carry heavy wooden beams on our back as we navigate our daily lives. The essence of Jesus’ command remains as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. It’s about self-denial, about putting God’s will before our own.

When we consider the life of Jesus, we see a model of self-sacrifice that is unparalleled. He gave up His heavenly throne to walk among us, to experience our joys and sorrows, our triumphs and failures. He lived among us, not as a “KING”, but as a humble servant….

This long holiday weekend always puts me in mind of the 1996 commercial for an office supply store that was advertising its back-to-school wares. You may remember it too. It featured two kids plodding glumly behind their father who was skipping joyously up the store aisle with a shopping cart as Andy Williams’ infectious song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (yes, a Christmas song!) plays in the background….

     This is one of those times in the year when we hear sentences that start with “I can’t believe…” As in, “I can’t believe August is almost over!” or “I can’t believe it’s Labor Day weekend already.” Variations on the theme include questions like “where did the summer go?” and statements about time speeding up as age increases. It happens every year, this turn of the season from summer to fall, but it sneaks up on us just the same….

During the Eucharist, we break bread to share in the body of Christ. Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This reminds us that we are bound to Christ, to one another, as well as the whole body of the church as we share in this public act of commitment and expression of loyalty to Christ our Lord.

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” We may not be able to explain where grace resides in this act, but if we could, we would no doubt lose an important part of the journey of exploration which we call faith…

am away on vacation, and in my absence I offer this excerpt from an essay written by Brian Doyle titled “The Most Beautiful Boat.” While a bit longer in length than most of our written meditations, I hope you enjoy it:

He is nine and I am ten. We are brothers. We share a room upstairs. Our beds are six feet apart. His bed is under the window because he likes to look at the shoulders and the fingers of the burly maple trees outside…..

One of the reasons that we feel tired at night is the sheer number of decisions we make during the course of the day. Some of them are not of great consequence (Should I do laundry today or tomorrow?), while others carry more weight (How shall I respond to that request from my colleague or family member? Can I afford to get a new phone?), and others are of the utmost importance (Should I change jobs/career? Should I get married?).

As you may know, Ignatius of Loyola (whose feast day was July 31) developed a set of “Spiritual Exercises” expressly to help people to make tough decisions − especially those that are life-changing, such as entering into marriage or the religious life….